Home » Ethics consultation reduced hospital, ICU, and ventilation
days for ICU patients who died before hospital discharge

TITLE

Ethics consultation reduced hospital, ICU, and ventilation
days for ICU patients who died before hospital discharge

PUB. DATE

March 2004

SOURCE

ACP Journal Club;Mar/Apr2004, Vol. 140 Issue 2, p36

SOURCE TYPE

Academic Journal

DOC. TYPE

Article

ABSTRACT

The article focuses on a study conducted to analyze if ethics consultation is better than usual care for reducing nonbeneficial life-sustaining treatments for intensive care unit (ICU) patients who died before hospital discharge. 273 patients were allocated to usual care that included family meetings, other conferences, and ethics consultations only when initiated by the health care team. Nonsurviving intervention patients had fewer hospital, ICU, or ventilation days than did nonsurviving usual care patients. Ethics consultation was associated with reduced hospital, ICU, and life-sustaining ventilation days in ICU patients who died in the hospital.

ACCESSION #

12597120

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